Dossier 2008 © - Teclux

History
Few companies can claim to have illuminated
the story of Spanish design since the times when
125-volt lamps were in use. Decorative ideas have
changed enormously since then, and Metalarte,
born in metalwork shop, has always been there,
steered by creativity.
The history of Metalarte is the history of a family
firm. Its origins go back to Construcciones Riera,
a company founded by Antonio Riera Clariana
when, in 1932, he decided to establish a metalwork
shop to make the iron pieces needed by the
building firm. In those days metalworkers could
show off their creations on buildings fronts.
They had not yet been forced into retirement
by aluminium carpentry and they were considered
“metal artist” by the applied arts guild. And so
they were. That is why the Riera family called their
first workshop Metalls Artes.
Managed by Antonio Riera, the company ceased
to work only on commission, launching its own
lines of doorknobs, household utensils and stylish
lamps. The first was produced in 1942 and
was baptised, logically enough, as nº1, because
in those days lamps were still not considered
designer objects, nor were they given names.
At that time, Spain was little more than a wasteland,
and the world was at war. Then came the
post-war period, and it was not until the mid-1950’s
that Antonio Riera began to travel to the Nordic
countries, attracted by the siren calls of burgeoning
Scandinavian design. There he found inspiration
for the new collections that Metal Artes launched
onto the market between 1954-1960, illustrated
by a first catalogue of hand-coloured photos.
They were a success those were boom years.
The company became firmly established and began
to be seen as a reference point in the lighting
industry. The company also changed its name once
more, introducing Metalarte and a corporative
image, something quite normal nowadays, but
a distinctly odd-sounding idea in those times.
Antonio Riera wanted to take his company into
the future and even then he was aware that this
meant taking the path of design.
Until then, the lamps from Metal Artes had no
recognised designer, as they were not yet signed.
It is suffice to take a look, however, at the 1959
and 1962 models to see the amazing resemblance
these lamps have with others that can be seen
today in other company showrooms. In fashion,
what goes around comes around. These days, we
seek inspiration in the past, whilst in those bygone
days, when Spain was just starting to shake itself
out of its lethargy; businesses found their inspiration
in Europe, particularly in Italy. Antonio Riera
went a little further, to the United States. More than
inspiration, he was looking for inspired people,
and in New York he found George W. Hansen an
American of Danish origin who, whilst serving
in the army on the Island of Labrador, designed
a lamp that would later become the Swing Arm.
Hansen was the catalyst for Metalarte selling
lamps abroad.
This American-style lamp is still one of the firm’s
biggest sellers, one of those life-long success
stories that are so difficult to achieve, but not
impossible if you try hard enough. With everything
still to do, in those times, Metalarte produced two
lines of products, one neoclassical, the other more
modern in style, designed by the technical
department. The company lived in the present
whilst not forgetting the past.
We are pioneers commissioning design.
André Ricard, today one of the most prestigious
Spanish designers but during the 70s he was
just another promising talent. He came to Metalarte
with a few drawings for a lamp under his arm.
It did not look like a lamp. It was small, with a
twisted shape, supported by three brightly-coloured
ABS arms that gave it a pop look very much in line
with the times. We need to imagine the scene;
what now appears as a regular meeting between
a manufacturer and a designer was, in those days,
a veritable act of faith. Riera’s courage did not
fail him, though, and in 1970 he launched Ricard’s
lamp on the market, the work of one that we
would now call an emerging or up-and-coming
designer. Both Antonio Riera and his brother
Carlos are the kind of people who do not see
business as merely profit and loss, but are capable
of braving unknown territory to put good ideas
into practice. Carlos Riera already knew what it
was like to win a National Design Prize.
He received one during his time in charge of
Disform, also for his pioneering courage.